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Since college, Marty Murray Jr., execMBA class of 2017, has been involved in politics, whether he was serving as a member of student government at Southern Illinois University Carbondale or volunteering for candidates in St. Louis.

In August, Marty was elected St. Louis 7th Ward Committeeman. Marty’s competition? An incumbent who had held the position since Marty was in kindergarten. Lacking the name recognition and budget of his opponent, Marty’s underdog status played a big role in his campaign strategy.

Putting his statistical analysis skills to work, Marty used data to figure out how he could unseat his competition.

Marty began his campaign after he realized the St. Louis City Democratic party didn’t have solid organization. Knowing how important the political races of 2016 were, Marty knew this wasn’t a year to sit idle.

From the start of his campaign, Marty formed a strategy based on voter turnout. Using statistics, he figured out how many doors he needed to knock on in order to convert a winning number of votes.

The voter turnout approach allowed him to look historically at each individual neighborhood and allocate his time effectively.

Marty and his team of volunteers hit the pavement, knocking on doors and interacting directly with voters. The relationships Marty created going door to door would prove essential to establishing a lasting presence in the community.

By going door to door, Marty and volunteers were able to learn more about his potential constituents. Information volunteers recorded by hand was then manually inputted into an Excel spreadsheet.

Using data such as precinct voter turnout, historical trends, how his opponent had performed in the past, and a statistically sound poll of the precinct, Marty crafted a rational approach, focusing on the people he would be representing.

Taking note of age distribution in each neighborhood, he targeted younger voters through social media, and even sent handwritten letters to older voters.

Now that he’s been elected committeeman, Marty is focused on building trust and looking forward. While studying abroad with execMBA over the summer, he was inspired by sitting with members of the German Parliament and mayor of Munich, and discussing how international politics affected their country.

Marty will hold his position as 7th Ward Committeeman for the next four years. In addition to that role he was elected as Chairman of the 78th District Legislative Committee and Vice-Chair of Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.

The execMBA class of 2017 will spend nine days on an international residency in Prague, Czech Republic, and Munich, Germany. Two execs have volunteered to chronicle their trip as they take a deep dive into global business and contextual intelligence.

Here’s Christine’s take on some of the activities the cohort did in Prague and Munich: (more…)

The execMBA class of 2017 will spend nine days on an international residency in Prague, Czech Republic, and Munich, Germany. Two execs have volunteered to chronicle their trip as they take a deep dive into global business and contextual intelligence.

John shares his first impressions of Prague, visits to local companies, and tourist activities: (more…)

The execMBA class of 2017 will spend nine days on an international residency in Prague, Czech Republic, and Munich, Germany. Two execs have volunteered to chronicle their trip as they take a deep dive into global business and contextual intelligence.

Here’s what’s on blogger Christine Mathews’ mind right before hopping on a plane to Europe: (more…)

The execMBA class of 2017 will spend nine days on an international residency in Prague, Czech Republic, and Munich, Germany. Two execs have volunteered to chronicle their trip as they take a deep dive into global business and contextual intelligence.

We checked in with blogger John Fowler for his pre-residency thoughts just a few days before the cohort departed: (more…)

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Last week, we celebrated the third graduating execMBA cohort, the class of 2016. They’ve done some truly awesome things since they started the program in 2014. Looking back, here are some of the best. (more…)

We’re proud to announce that our program was selected for the UPCEA (University Professional and Continuing Education Association) Excellence in Advancing Student Success Award. Last week, execMBA Director Kathleen Dolan accepted the UPCEA award at the Annual National Conference in San Diego. (more…)

Delux Emerging30: Up and Coming

Marty Murray, Jr., execMBA class of 2017, was recently named to the Delux Emerging30. This “30 under 30” list names 30 individuals in the St. Louis area who have been identified as game changers in their respective fields. (more…)

The execMBA recently launched its brand new Professional Advancement Series (PAS). This comprehensive course spans the 21 months of the program, covering topics that are not strictly academic but rather that address students’ professional development. This highly-personalized series includes outcomes and action plans designed to focus on “promotability” characteristics, and is customized according to each candidate’s needs. (more…)